Our present invention relates to a convertible automobile roof and, more particularly, to an improved rain gutter built into a convertible roof.
A convertible roof with a rain gutter or channel extending along each longitudinal edge and composed of flexible material is known. The roof covering is composed, in such systems, of inner and outer layers and the downwardly-turned longitudinal edge regions are engaged in substantially U-shaped binder strips which hold against the roof material a bead-forming member, e.g. of foam rubber which is enclosed in a strip whose downwardly-extending portions are held against the roof material by the binder strip. The bead lies outwardly of the roof covering so that the rain channel is formed between that bead and the roof material.
The advantage of such a structure which is similar to that of DE 42 34 811 A1 is that the appearance of the roof covering is aesthetic. However, the bead forming member does not function well from the point of view of guiding the rain water from the roof as a channel and may not be satisfactory where that channel is located above the vehicle door or a vehicle window. In many cases, therefore, the water can splash from the channel.
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved convertible automobile roof with an improved rain channel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a convertible roof in which the water guidance is improved, the tendency for the rain channel to collect contaminants is reduced and the optical appearance or aesthetic is unaffected by comparison with earlier systems.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved convertible roof and rain gutter which is free from drawbacks of earlier systems and yet has sufficient flexibility or elasticity to be able to follow the folding of the convertible roof and the unfolding thereof in the opening and closing actions without permanent deformation.
These objects and others which will become more readily apparent hereinafter are attained, in accordance with the invention, in a top for a convertible vehicle which comprises:
a flexible roof covering having a longitudinal edge;
a flexible bead-forming strip attached to the roof covering along the an outer side of the edge; and
a flexible channel-forming spacer between the bead-forming strip and the roof covering along the edge.
According to the invention, therefore, between the roof cover which can have two layers as has been described, a flexible channel-forming spacer is introduced between the bead-forming strip and the roof covering along its edge.
Without, therefore, modifying the optical characteristics and aesthetics of the prior channel structure of a convertible roof, it is possible with the present invention and the insertion of the channel-forming spacer to enlarge the rain channel to a significant extent so that larger quantities of water can be carried away and so that accumulation of contaminants over time will be precluded.
According to a feature of the invention the channel-forming spacer is an injected or extruded molding of an elastic synthetic resin, preferably EPDM, i.e. an ethylene-propylene-diene monomer synthetic resin which can have a relatively low hardness and, for example, 60 to 70 Shore-A, thereby providing sufficient flexibility and elasticity to follow the folding and unfolding of the convertible top without permanent deformation.
According to a feature of the invention, the channel of the spacer is wedge shaped with a wedge angle of about 25 to 30xc2x0. Under such conditions contaminants tend to be swept away by the rain water and do not permanently collect. The elastic strip or profile deforms flexibly upon opening and closing of the convertible top with restoration of its original shape, thereby causing any dirt particles which tend to adhere in the channel to spring loose.
It has been found to be advantageous, moreover, to provide the spacer in its channel-forming regions with a smooth upper surface. This ensures that the water will run off better on the one hand, and on the other, that there will be less tendency for contaminants to collect than would be the case with a rough surface. In general in the past there has been a tendency to provide rough surfaces in the channel-forming regions, for example, to the channel so formed directly by the bead and a rough fabric layer covering the latter.
Advantageously, the spacer has a height such that it does not extend above the flexible bead in the forming strip. As a result, the channel-forming spacer remains practically invisible and all that can be seen along the edge is the bead-forming strip as before.
According to the invention, moreover, the bead-forming strip comprises a bead and a bead cover extending around the bead and having respective margins extending downwardly therefrom, the edge, the spacer and the margins being held in a U-section binder strip and being secured together with the binder strip receiving the edge at the end.
The spacer can have an upper part spreading outwardly from a lower part whereby a flank of the spacer adapted to lie against the roof covering has angularly adjoining segments prior to incorporation of the spacer in the top but coplanar and lying flat against the roof covering when the spacer is affixed between the bead-forming strip and the roof covering along the edge.
The difference between the system of the invention and the prior art system described, of course, is that within the binder strip, the spacer lies between the bead-forming strip and the layers of the fabric bead cover and the flexible roof covering. It has been found to be advantageous for the spacer to have an upper part spreading outwardly from a lower part whereby a flank of the spacer adapted to lie against the roof covering has angularly adjoining segments prior to incorporation of the spacer in the top but coplanar and lying flat against the roof covering when the spacer is affixed between the bead-forming strip and the roof covering along the edge.
The elasticity of the strip, once it is secured in place, e.g. by stitching, thus serves to seal between the spacer and the roof covering on the one hand and the bead cover on the other. While the relaxation of the spacer thus serves to form a tight seal with the flanking surfaces, it also ensures that the channel will remain open.